Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience

[angelsadvocate666]

Look, Velvet is pretty damn far from Lawful Good. Maybe, on her better days, she counts as Chaotic Good—probably hits chaotic neutral on most days—but you only get four horseshoes when you're all in, you know?

 

[Lorrie]

…Hmm. Random thought, but have we ever considered finding a way to unwillingly bind Marinette?

Click to shrink...

That sounds like the perfect setup for her to activate The Second Birth at the worst possible time.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Spoiler: Winning Plan

[X] Plan Pittauro, With Changeling Detectives
-[X] Axe, yes! (Costs one VELVET action)
-[X][DETECTIVES] (FOLLOW UP) There are still changelings out there. Hunt them. Look for them, and for the ponies who colluded with them. (One of the chief expectations of the Bureau. Avert a future Catastrophe)
-[X][CONSTABLES] It is less paperwork for you if they just help with the investigations. (NO ACTION from the Constables. GAIN one VELVET action for the next phase)
-[X][COMMISSIONER] The Bureau is more than an institution, it is a gathering of dedicated ponies working towards a unified goal. Ingrain yourself with them. (Establish, increase, or salvage the loyalty of the Bureau towards you personally.)
-[X][RARITY] Take a commission. (Gain at least 100 bits immediately, will "fail" her career roll)
-[X][SELENE] Realize something about Edge. (Unlock her Edge skill) (TRAINING ACTION)
-[X][SELENE] Realize something about Knock. (Unlock her Knock skill) (TRAINING ACTION)
-[X] One extra Velvet action! (Costs 2 follower actions)
-[X] You need somepony to perform this ritual… (Reflection of the Tapestry, search for "The Key that Only Opens" the Daughter of Axe wants)
--[X] To be performed on the safe place Baldomare directed you to. (Will expire at the end of turn 20)
-[X] You need somepony to perform this ritual… (Reflection of the Tapestry, search for "the easiest lvl 6 book we can get for Baldomare")
--[X] To be performed on the safe place Baldomare directed you to. (Will expire at the end of turn 20)
-[X] WRITE IN: Canterlot part 2 expedition
-[X] Attack your foe, or defend yourself. In war, there is no other option.
--[X][GUARD] You would very much like to keep this safe. (Your home)

[X] Plan Betterer Biedde
-[X] (AotL) Edge
-[X] (Forge) Edge 3, Knock 2 Edge 1, SH 1
—[X] Gift used on Knock 2 Edge 1 retroactively
-[X] (Steppes) Ask about any rumors and general perceptions of us, Fair Trial, and our respective institutions, among both nobles and the commonfolk.
-[X] (Social) Level up Jade
-[X] Summon Biedde
--[X] Sacrifice Edge 3 and Knock 2 Edge 1 reagents
--[X] To be performed on an inconspicuous place, located by Baldomare
-[X] Fleeting Opportunity: Comet Feet
-[X] Study: Forge 3, Forge 3, Mystery Book
-[X] Explore the Mansus
--[X] Find a new location in the Ashen Wastes
--[X] Explore the depths of the Ruined Church

[Rolling several relatively low CD tests…]

[No re-rolls used]



- - -



You are Velvet Covers, and right now you are more than just a little frustrated.

But not because anything bad happened, mind you. Well, technically speaking something bad is happening right now. Otherwise you wouldn't be frustrated like this. But still, this is not a catastrophe or anything. In fact, this is barely worth being called "bad news".

This really isn't something that is worth sulking about.

And yet, as it usually happens with this kind of thing…



"Tartarus… freaking… damnit! Why won't you stay in the right shape?!"



You let out a long, frustrated groan as the mushy substance you are working with once again melts into a small mound of dull-colored matter.

And you make a point of taking several long, deep breaths to push back against the mounting anger you are feeling.

Right now, you are at home. You are at home and, to be more precise, you are currently inside your office.

Well, this place isn't really your "office". Not anymore, at least. Ever since your brother took over the administration of the farmlands, this place hasn't really seen much use. In fact, the room is a lot emptier than it was before, given how your staff transferred to him several cabinets worth of files and ledgers.

Still, you are in your office because, well, you will be doing a lot of alchemy this month. And you don't think you will be able to do it discreetly if you keep using the workshop on the servant's building like you have done so far.

Maybe you should turn this place into a hobby room of sorts? Well, you say "hobby room", but the picture you have in your mind would better be described as a "workshop". Still, the small yet effective setup you saw on Knock-you's room definitely comes to mind.

And besides, Stormchaser has a hobby room of his own, just down the corridor. And the place is so full of weather-engineering tools and gadgets that it definitely qualifies as a workshop. So why shouldn't you have something like that as well? The servants would talk, of course. But everypony who is allowed to work on this floor, where your family lives, can be trusted to some extent.

Or at least, they can be trusted to brush off this kind of thing as a noble's eccentricity.

And also…

"… actually, I think I lost what little focus I had," you say out loud, as your eyes once again focus on your latest failed experiment.

Because you plan on doing something that will need a lot of Edge, a few days from now. And you are working on something that, hopefully, will give you the push you will need to succeed.

However, when it comes to this kind of thing, form is as important as substance. And although you can get away with something needle-sharp for a lesser ritual, you definitely need something blade-shaped for what you have in mind.

"But I am not suited for metalworking," you say to yourself, once again trying to figure a way around your problem.

After all, you might have been able to achieve the desired result if you were using metal, mixed with the correct ingredients, to forge a knife of sorts.

But that's the thing about it. You have a knack for alchemy. In fact, you can confidently say you have a taste for alchemy, or maybe even a liking for it. But even if you had the tools to melt a piece of metal, and even if you were able to mix it with the proper elements, you still wouldn't be able to work it into the necessary shape.

Because you know, at least in theory, that the correct way to do it would be with your hoofs. But you don't have the knowledge, or even the constitution, to do something like that. Metalworking is an aspect of Forge that you are simply unsuited for.

"… well, I'm sure I'll figure something out," you say, although with a defeated tone.

Still, you push aside the materials you were working with. Lighting up your horn as you storage the sloppy mixture that is your work in progress, and floating towards you the ingredients you will need for the other reagent you have in mind. Something easy, and small, that you will give Jade so she can use it in a ritual she is preparing to cast.

But as you start ripping out the pages of the old and used diary you bought, that will eventually become the reagent you have in mind, you can't help but think that maybe you should learn a bit more about Forge before going back to work on your other projects.



- - -



Finding these two books was a little harder than expected. And you are more than a little embarrassed by the fact you had to cheat a little bit in order to find them.

Well, the beginner's guide on blacksmithing wasn't that hard to find. Stormchaser asked if he could have it, a while ago, and you found the book stashed away in his hobby room. He must have read from it while trying to repair one of the… strangely complex metal fans he owns.

On the other hoof, your book on chemistry…

Well, after thoroughly analyzing the state of the book, you have concluded that it was first knocked out of your bookshelf by a maid. Then it was picked up by Softy, who thought it was one of Silky's schoolbooks, only for the young mare to change her mind after flicking through its pages. Then, it laid on Soft's room for a while, was borrowed by no less than three other maids, and became yellow for a few nights as it was read by a recent hire, for some unexplainable reason. Until finally one of Silky's friends found it while exploring the house, and it had been used as the base for a boardgame ever since.

You had not expected to have to dig into the chest where your daughter keeps her toys to find it, but at least you did not have to leave the house to retrieve it.

It would have been terribly awkward if you had to, say, break into the treehouse where your daughters go to play, in the Apple family property, just to get this book back. So, you will take your blessings where you find them.

Part of you feels bad over the fact that the book is slightly damaged. Its cover is bruised and dented, some of its pages are terribly folded, and you are sure that part of it became wet at some point, before drying out naturally. But still, considering that the last user of this book was one of your daughters, your indignation dies down very quickly.

Regardless, despite all the trouble you went through to locate these two books, you still won't read them right now.

Yes, you are aware that they became misplaced precisely because you took so long to read them. And no, you are not about to put them off for several more months.

However, the fact remains that you are far more interested in the third book you have with you. The old and battered volume you are holding on your hoofs right now.

The ancient, hoof-written book that the Daughter-of-Axes brought you… from beneath the Royal Castle of Canterlot.

…

You have been meaning to read this for a while now. More than that, you have been wanting to study this ever since it came into your possession.

The book itself looks unremarkable, if very old. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say the book doesn't look special. You wouldn't bat an eye if you found it in a used-books store, or perhaps inside a trash can.

Furthermore, the pages seem to be made out of the same material as scrolls. Of course, you are not surprised that the pages are not made out of modern paper. But still, the old scroll-like pages have already grown stiff with age, and are only malleable enough for you to be able to turn them without fearing that the book will break on your hoofs.

The more you analyze the book itself, the more you start to think it was never meant to be a book to begin with. Because the way the pages are bound together, with rusted metal pins that you think you could remove without much effort, make you feel like this was never meant to be the final configuration for the book. In fact, even the "cover" of the book is indistinguishable from the following pages, and the words "Volume 4" are the only approximation for a cover title this thing has.

Yes, you are almost certain of it. This book was probably just a collection of notes, or perhaps a draft for a more complete work.

Still, it is old. It is old, and it was found in a place that was used by Lore-practitioners. So even these notes will be interesting to you.

So, after analyzing it as much as you could with your more mundane senses, you finally place your hoof over its cover.

And then… you focus.

The novelty of old age has left me a long time ago. Still, it is good to think that death is no longer what it was. Regardless, there is no point in thinking about the future when the present is happening right now.

I am glad that the city is growing, even though the surrounding denizens are doing their best to stop that. Still, we have already succeeded for long enough that optimism is the norm, and that setbacks are seen as holes on a road rather than a gaping chasm.

And most importantly, they are learning well. Soon, I will have very little left to teach them, although that time has not yet arrived.

Or rather, I will have very little left that I am willing to teach. Some things are best left forgotten. And I intend to die with those things.

But secrecy does not make me negligent. I would be a fool if I did not keep with the verifications, and that is exactly what I intend to do here.

The third cave branch, that I started mapping yesterday, seems to be the path downwards. With that in mind, I think I should…​

The book, if you can even call it such, is old.

And the writer was older.

This book was clearly not written for a pony other than the writer. It read more like a log of reports, sprinkled with personal thoughts here and there. And the lack of any mention to the Lores, even in the most indirect or secret way, almost seemed intentional.

Still, you were able to gleam enough from it.

You were able to confirm that it was written… relatively recently, in the grand scheme of things. You already suspected as much given how the language used was something you could read unaided, although it used several words that are at best archaic.

Furthermore, you think this was written… when the two sisters were already governing ponykind. Or at least when they were already physically present, and had a prominent role. Which also means this was written before Princess Luna was banished.

Still, despite the particular method you used to read, you were not able to grasp certain details. And you could almost feel the gaps of information that you simply lacked the context to be able to understand. For example, several times the writer simply wrote "they", and you were unsure if the writer was referring to ponykind in general, the two sisters, some other pony, or even the crystals that filled the walls of the cave that was being explored.

However, the writer's personal musings were only the smaller part of what was written. And most of the notes were dedicated to the writer's methodical exploration of the caverns within "the great mountain" where the notes were written.

Which you assume will be very useful to whoever wishes to explore the depths of Mount Canterlot.

…

You will be sure to copy the maps contained within these notes, and pass them on to the Daughter-of-Axes before she departs.



- - -



"Rarity, are you quite sure that you are alright?" you ask, carefully eyeing the mare as you do.

And not for the first time, the unicorn seems to take several seconds before she realizes you are speaking to her.

"I'm what? Oh, of course darling. Of course I am fine," she says. Although the way she shakes her head and blinks before speaking, as if she was deep in thought just now, suggests otherwise. "It's just the nerves acting up, nothing to worry about…"

She says that, but her words obviously have the opposite effect.

Although you are also aware that, well, you really shouldn't push her any further on this matter.

After all, the two of you already had this conversation before. Ever since Cadance's marriage, Rarity has been receiving several high profile "requests" for exclusive pieces of clothing.

And those buyers, some of them anonymous but all of them very rich, do not want her to design a fashion line like she is doing with the Needles. Instead, they want their own personal repeat of Cadance's wedding dress. Their own tailor-made, worthy-of-an-alicorn set for them to wear and flaunt, or perhaps for them to lock behind a glass vault and turn into a museum exhibit.

Still, she has been receiving requests, and after your encouragement she decided to accept one of them. Which is why she is going to travel to Los Pegasus in a few days, to have her first meeting with a very high-profile pony.

So yes, of course she is nervous. She is nervous, and she is already second guessing herself, and according to her own words she is not sure if she has what it takes, or if Cadance's dress was just a case of accidentally catching lightning in a bottle. A one-time thing she will never be able to surpass, let alone repeat.

And there really isn't anything you can do to calm her down, right now. Except maybe offer her some more tea, and give her an afternoon of peace and quiet among friends like you are doing right now.

"If you say so, Rarity," you answer, once again turning your attention to Jade Whistle. "So, Jade, what were you saying about glimpses?"

You watch as Jade narrows her eyes while she prepares to answer. And you can already tell that this subject, the topic of conversation that the mare very unusually brought up on her own, is something that she has been struggling with for a long time now. The kind of thing that she thinks about almost every day, but that somehow is hard to put into words.

Yes, you are definitely familiar with that kind of thing.

"It's not… glimpses," she tries to say, although she stops every now and then as she tries to think how she can best explain something. "It looks like a flicker, but it feels like a reflection? I… the best way I can describe it is that… hmm…"

"It feels like you are looking towards Glory, but you have your back turned to it and your eyes are closed, yes?" Baldomare asks.

And Jade's neutral expression almost turns into one of relief, or perhaps even surprise.

"Yes! Yes, that's exactly how they look like," she says, her voice covered by a very rare wave of emotion. "Do you know what that is? Could you please explain me what they mean?" she asks.

But of course, Baldomare doesn't even bother to look up as she speaks. Her attention clearly focused on putting more sugar on her teacup as she answers Jade.

"Of course, I know what that is, silly. And of course I won't tell you," she says. However, she still waves a hoof towards you before continuing. "But she seems to have a bit of a grasp on it. So why don't you two continue the little conversation you were having?"

You can tell that Jade is disappointed by her answer, although neither of you are really surprised by it.

But still, the fact that Baldomare is even willing to join your afternoon teatime is already more than you could ask for. And even if she is only willing to throw you small crumbs of knowledge like what she just said, you are more than happy to use those as guideposts for your conversation.

"Well, you say they feel like Glory, but not in the sense that you are looking at it directly," you say, trying to translate what Jade is talking about into something you are more familiar with. "Well, I always felt like I understood Lantern better with my hoofs. But I always thought there was something about your eyes, Jade."

"Oh, yes, she definitely uses her eyes," Baldomare says, finally putting her teacup down and starting to mix it with a small teaspoon.

Again, she doesn't volunteer anything else. But again, you will take what you can get.

"So, can you tell us a bit more about when you see those glimpses? I think we should start from there. Who knows, there might be a pattern that those situations followed, and we could learn more if we find it.

Jade gives you a slow nod as she thinks, although you can see her stealing a few glances of Baldomare here and there, hoping the Name will chime in with another tidbit of guidance.

And with the typical stops and starts that is common for these conversations, the ones where you discuss the Lores without really knowing what you are talking about, you and Jade continue to work on trying to understand her experiences a little bit better.

That is, until the sun gets so low that Jade and Rarity decide that they should leave.

Still, as you walk down with your friends to the entrance hall and say your goodbyes, you get the impression that Jade now has a better understanding of Lantern. Or at least, that the two of you stumbled on something that, in a few days, will bring her to a much needed breakthrough.



"Oh, one last thing," you say, before the two mares leave, "this is for you, Jade."

You say that, and then you give her the small bird you made from folded paper yesterday. The simple origami made out of the torn pages of an old diary, that you hope will help her with the ritual she is preparing.

However, as she takes the small bird on her hoofs, she just… stares at it. For several seconds. Her expression neutral as always, but also unusual in a way you can't describe.

"… is… is it alright if I keep it?" she mumbles, although her voice is so low you can barely understand her.

"I'm sorry, Jade. What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing," she says, carefully stashing the item in her saddle bag. "Thank you, Velvet Covers."

After that, she and Rarity begin the trek back to Ponyville. And the sun finally sets not long after that.





You have successfully read all three books. (All your three rolls were over the number 80, for those who are curious. Given your bonuses, I did not even bother to calculate by how much you succeeded.)

Velvet Covers has gained two scraps of Forge knowledge. Velvet Covers' Forge Lore is now level four!

Velvet Covers has read an ancient tome, which contained an expansive map of the caverns within Mount Canterlot. They may be dated, and perhaps inaccurate, but you are sure they will be helpful regardless. The expedition "Beneath the Royal Castle, pt. 2" has been scouted, and any characters exploring it will receive a +10 bonus on their rolls.

You have taught her everything you could, for now, and that will have to be enough. Jade Whistle is now a Seeker (Lantern 4, Heart 2).

You have created three reagents, which have all been added to your inventory. A total of 50 bits and your last "Expensive Gift" (retroactively used) have been taken from your inventory.

The Sacrament threadmark will be brought over eventually, and it will include the requirements for Velvet's newly-reachable Forge Sacrament. The same applies for the Expeditions threadmark.

More to follow.

 

[angelsadvocate666]

Velvet Covers has read an ancient tome, which contained an expansive map of the caverns within Mount Canterlot. They may be dated, and perhaps inaccurate, but you are sure they will be helpful regardless. The expedition "Beneath the Royal Castle, pt. 2" has been scouted, and any characters exploring it will receive a +10 bonus on their rolls.

Click to shrink...

…Ha. Man, that was some really good timing. And here we thought it would be a new expedition.

Still, that means that DoA hits at +60 minimum, which is gonna be funny to see.

-+15 when attempting to "destroy something";

Click to shrink...

Should be +20 now, I believe.

 

[Venerable Ro]

That sounds like the perfect setup for her to activate The Second Birth at the worst possible time.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, gotta remember that unlike the other Names, Mareinette is entirely present in the Wake, and her binding is very much something she's permitted rather than something she's restrained by. She can, and will, break those bindings and leave the moment she decides that she's not satisfactorily entertained. She even has multiple ways of doing it, she doesn't have to take the malus from activating [The Second Birth], she can just force us to default by requesting a favor that we're unwilling to give as the price to renew the binding. As the Grail Name it is entirely within her sphere to divine what vices or currencies Velvet would balk at if she wanted out.

That's why I suggested investing a bit of social attention on her a while back, to try and get off the current trajectory towards causing offence that I think we're currently on, if we haven't passed it already. She wants in the house, she'll probably demand it on her terms as the cost of doing business, and we "banished" her initially because Velvet didn't want her in the house. Understandable reaction mind, considering, but it's probably either let her in the house, set her loose on the country, or transparently keep kicking the can down the road with gifts/bribes until her goodwill runs out.

Whatever store of goodwill a thwarted Grail Name might possess...

Mareinette is waiting, but she won't wait forever.

So! Let's keep in mind some of her traits, such as [Honored Guest] and [Proud]. Not specifically the mechanical effects, though those are relevant, but the tone and theming. She's a very proud creature, a very adaptable and creative one, and she has a specific social pattern/concept that she prefers to inhabit. Hospitality means something to her, favors and the repayment of such mean something to her, respect means something to her.

I think we should invite her into the house, but in a very specific way, according to the formal rites of hospitality as she knows and respects them. Make it official, make her an Honored Guest in truth instead of a monster to be shunned in a storehouse until useful. The host has obligations of courtesy towards the guest, which we are not fulfilling, and the guest has certain obligations of courtesy due the host. Our household would be safer with a Mareinette who considered herself a proper guest of the household, because a proper guest does not take liberties with her host's possessions or kin, nor does she act in such a way as to damage her host's good name. Mareinette is a very proper Lady, thank you very much, and I think she can be trusted to play by the rules of her own game if we're wise enough to engage with them.

 

[spiderhellian]

Really love the bits of characterization and world/setting-building that were worked into some actions that are so much simpler in the plan.

Or rather, I will have very little left that I am willing to teach. Some things are best left forgotten. And I intend to die with those things.

Click to shrink...

This must be Starswirl, right? Known mentor to the princesses, great mage…

So what is he verifying?

Still, it is good to think that death is no longer what it was.

Click to shrink...

Which makes me so curious about this. (Or it reignites a long held curiosity). What the hell happens to ponies that die? They maybe cross the mountains… and then what? Wherever they go, is it where all the ponies that once wandered the Blank Plains went too?

My instinct is to blame Harmony, but that just pushes the questions back a step. What happened and why?

It is impossible to truly break something. And it is impossible to create something that is truly unbreakable. Everything is in constant flux, and the only thing one can do is steer the direction of that unstoppable flow. (Further +5 when attempting to destroy something. Gains a single re-roll for Forge per month/turn, to be used on the result that would benefit Velvet Covers the most.)

Click to shrink...

The Forge Level 4 snippet . The Forge of Days, and King Lock Crucible, might have something to say about that unbreakable line!

 

[Alan975]

I think we should invite her into the house

Click to shrink...

Should? Perhaps, there is as much risk to doing it as there is not.

Would? I don't think so, Velvet's children are her everything.

Want? I could take or leave it if a conflict breaks out, would enjoy how Marinette twists things and how the boss battle might play out.
For now, I'm in the corner of keeping the monster out.

This must be Starswirl, right? Known mentor to the princesses, great mage…

Click to shrink...

Can't really see anyone else filling in.
Perhaps Sombra? If mpl lore gets a little more changed, which I would not be opposed to.

 

[angelsadvocate666]

leave, "this is for you, Jade."

You say that, and then you give her the small bird you made from folded paper yesterday. The simple origami made out of the torn leaves of an old diary, that you hope will help her with the ritual she is preparing.

However, as she takes the small bird on her hoofs, she just… stares at it. For several seconds. Her expression neutral as always, but also unusual in a way you can't describe.

"… is… is it alright if I keep it?" she mumbles, although her voice is so low you can barely understand her.

"I'm sorry, Jade. What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing," she says, carefully stashing the item in her saddle bag. "Thank you, Velvet Covers."

Click to shrink...

Dammit Bird, every time. Why you gotta break my heart like this?

Also I honestly didn't even think about how we would be teaching Lantern to someone with the Lantern Name present, I was more focused on Selene and her lessons and Names. And Baldomare coming to our teatimes is kinda awesome. I can't remember if she did that before.

I did have to laugh at Velvet struggling with the metalworking, and the fact that the three rolls that were, quite probably, the least important also happened to all be 80+. It's both funny and worrying because that means all our low rolls probably ended up on much more important things.

 

[Steady Gaze]

Spoiler: Copyedits for Turn 19 Results - part 1

@OurLadyOfWires: the latest round of copyedits!

Then it was picked up by Softy, who thought it was one of Silky's schoolbook, only for the young mare to change her mind after flicking through its pages.

Click to shrink...

schoolbooks

But secrecy does not make me negligent. I would be a fool if I did not keep with the verifications, and that is exactly what I intend to do here.

Click to shrink...

I actually don't know what you mean. What verifications? I think you might mean a different word, but I don't know what. Here are a few guesses.

continue seeking the truth (What truth? Just in general?)
keep up my checks (What checks though?)
continue mapping the caves
confirm my information (I can tell as a reader it's deliberately omitted what information .)
confirm the information I received

Click to shrink...

(This feels like deciphering an ancient text where the meaning or nuance of a word is lost. So translators have to just guess. )

Just my reactions to a few things in the update:

Metalworking is an aspect of Forge that you are simply unsuited for.

Click to shrink...

I regret not putting in my full-on social and training turn, cause it possibly would've included befriending Applejack, who we suspect is forge-aligned. Or at least very handy and a good plumber.

Spoiler: Embed of a clip from Applejack's "Day" Off

View: https://youtu.be/UrR9l7IFkME?t=739

one of Silky's friends

Click to shrink...

It's always funny to see a main or semi-main character in one work (the Cutie Mark Crusaders) be reduced to background extras in another.

It would have been terribly awkward if you had to, say, break into the treehouse where your daughters go to play, in the Apple family property, just to get this book back.

Click to shrink...

Oh how you tease us with off-screen wholesome fun and good vibes! (That reminds me, RIP Scootaloo who had to stop living in our house and be lonely again.)

Or rather, I will have very little left that I am willing to teach. Some things are best left forgotten. And I intend to die with those things.

Click to shrink...

And the writer was older.

Click to shrink...

Is this Starswirl the Bearded? I vaguely remember it being conjectured that he deliberately didn't teach Celestia and Luna about the lores.

"It's not… glimpses," she tries to say, although she stops every now and then as she tries to think how she can best explain something. "It looks like a flicker, but it feels like a reflection? I… the best way I can describe it is that… hmm…"

Click to shrink...

Jade Whistle is now a Seeker (Lantern 4, Heart 2).

Click to shrink...

I don't know if someone can refresh my memory, but I recall every follower has some kind of narrative "special ability". We have the ability to read things instantly with our hooves and see in the dark. I don't remember when we trained Jade up to Disciple (Lantern 3), but I wonder what actual ability Jade gained. The ability to see things as they truly are is rather generic for Lantern, but maybe it works. When we trained Rarity up to disciple, she seemed to be gain the ability to:

In fact, as she looks into her eyes in that half-dazed panic, you think you see a glimpse of something on her gaze.

Maybe she can see what "should be"? Or perhaps she can see what ponies desire, or what they might desire if she brings it into reality?

Regardless, it is right there, hidden in her eyes.

And thankfully, you are here to help her bring it out.



Rarity is now a Disciple (Grail 3, Forge 1).

Click to shrink...

(Also, these blurbs are pretty cool; all the more reason I love training actions.)

 

[angelsadvocate666]

I don't know if someone can refresh my memory, but I recall every follower has some kind of narrative "special ability". We have the ability to read things instantly with our hooves and see in the dark. I don't remember when we trained Jade up to Disciple (Lantern 3), but I wonder what actual ability Jade gained. The ability to see things as they truly are is rather generic for Lantern, but maybe it works. When we trained Rarity up to disciple, she seemed to be gain the ability to:

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Technically we didn't train Jade to 3, she was already there when we first got her Confidante status. But, we do know that her special ability involved, at the very least, being able to know what Selene was on sight, and do her research into Selene's Knock levels that gave us two seperate non-lore rituals for awakening, as well as the Memory of Light research.

 

[Greymere]

…Ha. Man, that was some really good timing. And here we thought it would be a new expedition.

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...did we? I was fairly certain it was going to be related to BtRC at least

 

[Venerable Ro]

Technically we didn't train Jade to 3, she was already there when we first got her Confidante status. But, we do know that her special ability involved, at the very least, being able to know what Selene was on sight, and do her research into Selene's Knock levels that gave us two seperate non-lore rituals for awakening, as well as the Memory of Light research.

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"Oh, yes, she definitely uses her eyes," Baldomare says, finally putting her teacup down and starting to mix it with a small teaspoon.

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Seems pretty clear to me that she's got some sort of special insight into the truth of things, it's barely come up yet but I'd wager illusions and other such obfuscations don't work very well against her.

 

[angelsadvocate666]

...did we? I was fairly certain it was going to be related to BtRC at least

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I remember a fair few people thinking it was a new expedition. Maybe one that was related to that expedition, or a very simple one, but I don't recall anyone assuming it was anything like just a minor bonus to the one expedition we already had.

It's honestly kinda underwhelming, especially considering how close we came to just… not reading it before the expedition. I mean, it was an extra add on anyways, but +10 to a few rolls is very meh. And we could have held off at least one more turn if people had different priorities.

 

[Greymere]

I remember a fair few people thinking it was a new expedition. Maybe one that was related to that expedition, or a very simple one, but I don't recall anyone assuming it was anything like just a minor bonus to the one expedition we already had.

It's honestly kinda underwhelming, especially considering how close we came to just… not reading it before the expedition. I mean, it was an extra add on anyways, but +10 to a few rolls is very meh. And we could have held off at least one more turn if people had different priorities.

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Tbf, it's really only underwhelming because we're throwing a Name who can just brute force it at the problem. If we were going ourselves, a +10 plus free scouting action would be pretty useful.

 

[Sveta08]

Hmm? Oh. No.
I highly doubt it's Starswirl. I'd bet if it's anyone we know named, it would be Clover.

My memory is foggy admittedly, who would have thought that not refreshing yourself on background history characters of pony lore for a few years makes you forget some details?
But, if the author is saying the things they know would die with them? I believe it was that Clover the Clever was an apprentice of Starswirl. So Starswirl was interested in passing on his information, where as Clover is... well, we don't know as much.

Past that? Glad to know things are proceeding apace.

 

[Iustus Vitea]

The little passage from, presumably Starswirl, makes mention of a third branch I think we're in for another expedition.

So Starswirl was interested in passing on his information, where as Clover is... well, we don't know as much.

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He might be interested in passing on information but at the same time he might not be interested in passing on the Lores

Which makes me so curious about this. (Or it reignites a long held curiosity). What the tell happens to ponies that die? They maybe cross the mountains… and then what? Wherever they go, is it where all the ponies that once wandered the Blank Plains went too?

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Well the Madrugad is gone so there is no one presiding over the Door of the Dead. I wouldn't be surprised if they just left or at the very least were drawn out by Harmony. This would also means that there is no one presiding over the Cindered Tally.

...could we find and use it then?

 

[angelsadvocate666]

The little passage from, presumably Starswirl makes mention of a third branch, I think we're in for another expedition.

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I don't think so? It sounded more like there were three—or more—paths, and the first two were dead ends, while the third actually leads where we want to go.

 

[Iustus Vitea]

Ah. I suppose I should clarify? It can just be about the path ahead and deeper might just be the Pt 2 expedition and nothing more but since the Canterlot expedition came up my rule of 3 senses have been tingling and I'm irrationally convinced there is another beyond this.

Also, he talks about Crystals, any clue what those would be?

 

[angelsadvocate666]

I mean, it's totally possible. I just don't think the branch comment specifically was referencing that. If there's a third expedition, it's gonna be way deeper.

 

[Greymere]

Also, he talks about Crystals, any clue what those would be?

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Iirc, they were one of the obstacles in the first expedition. Or a part of it anyway, I think there's more crystals just generally growing around the caves, but there was also specifically a maze or something with a lot of them that was difficult to navigate through.

I do wonder what maybe-Starswirl was trying to verify though. What did they think was below the mountain, or could be below the mountain, that would be related to the Lores?

 

[Venerable Ro]

Should? Perhaps, there is as much risk to doing it as there is not.

Would? I don't think so, Velvet's children are her everything.

Want? I could take or leave it if a conflict breaks out, would enjoy how Marinette twists things and how the boss battle might play out.
For now, I'm in the corner of keeping the monster out.

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Marinette is Grail first and foremost, with Heart following close behind. Two lores that are very prone to relentless fixation and the active sort of obsession. Marinette's desires won't change just because we tell her no, and they certainly won't change if we only stall and/or deny her. Fighting/killing her? Older and more terrible things than us have tried, they are gone and She Is Still Here.

We recently learned a lesson the hard way about taking fights we're unprepared or unsuited for due to inaction/avoidance, I fear it's a rather cavalier assumption to presume she's going to stay placid, or that she'd run directly into our defenses if she decided to become hostile/uncooperative. Marinette could become an ungodly problem if she wanted to be, off the top of my mind I can think of one angry pony who would definitely fete a Grail-sponsor with all the Indulgences she ever asked for.

It's not about keeping her out of the house, it's about keeping her in our circle. Because we can't really force her, and we definitely can't catch her if she wants to go. Once she's gone she's gone, we won't get her back, and she'll promptly go have Fun! without any restraints at all.

 

[Sveta08]

.... huh

Rereading the chapter, the phrase "the novelty of old age" strikes me.
Either people did not grow old before them, or people did not have the chance to. Or perhaps, they themselves did not age, but now do?
I'm not quite sure.

But the novelty of old age...
That's something.

 

[angelsadvocate666]

I mean, I'm pretty sure I've heard old people say stuff like that even in IRL. Some people like being treated differently when they get old, but then realize it comes with a lot of annoying factors too.

Not to say you're definitely wrong, but I'm not reading into that statement very hard.

 

[Iustus Vitea]

I mean I have repeatedly brought up the idea of finding things to gift Marinette. She is a creature of Grail but more then that she is an Alukite, her thirst is through the roof and it has been so, so long since she truly indulged. We can find things like Amaranthine Nectar or the Grail Chalice or something. Bird has said that the way to befriend a Name is the same as keeping them around so if the way to keep Marinette bound is to satisfy her thirst then to make her a friend is to do so in escalating ways. Better to preempt her with gifts then to have her demands things we will not grant her.

Rereading the chapter, the phrase "the novelty of old age" strikes me.
Either people did not grow old before them, or people did not have the chance to. Or perhaps, they themselves did not age, but now do?
I'm not quite sure.

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We know the White Plains were once full so people must have aged and died. Also, Illopony is with Baldomare in the Ldge. Plus the memory from the perspective of a Son witnessing how they moved the Sun after the Interclate makes mention of old people.

The writer could've been a Long/Name born again or someone who made use of the Cindered Tally to extend their life. Or maybe they were using some other way to extend their life who knows?

 

[Venerable Ro]

I mean I have repeatedly brought up the idea of finding things to gift Marinette. She is a creature of Grail but more then that she is an Alukite, her thirst is through the roof and it has been so, so long since she truly indulged. We can find things like Amaranthine Nectar or the Grail Chalice or something. Bird has said that the way to befriend a Name is the same as keeping them around so if the way to keep Marinette bound is to satisfy her thirst then to make her a friend is to do so in escalating ways. Better to preempt her with gifts then to have her demands things we will not grant her.

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It's too bad we're only a librarian and not The Librarian, or we could keep her in Rubywise Ruin or possibly even Sacrament Calicite. Since this quest is a blend of Cultist Simulator and My Little Pony together, it bears out that both influences can be brought to bear both by us and by Bird to greater or lesser degrees according to the actions taken. Mareinette is almost wholly CS, but she's not entirely CS or the pun wouldn't be there. Therefore, hypothetically, the dial can be moved closer to Pony if we were to take the necessary actions to be a goodsubversive influence. This isn't just wishful thinking, this is me meditating on how the quest has been structured, I really do think there are opportunities, in theory, to do just about anything if the work is put in. The doors are ours to open or close, whether they're swung wide, bolted shut, or torn down entirely.

To use a related example, I'm still very certain that there were opportunities to sway, mollify, and otherwise mellow/befriend The Master same as with any other Name, but we got intimidated by the Moth-mystique and shied away from doing any kind of socializing. Of course the old Wood-Thing handled matters in the old bloody fashion, nopony ever offered an alternative option or way of thinking. We offered her windigoes instead.

 

[Iustus Vitea]

To use a related example, I'm still very certain that there were opportunities to sway, mollify, and otherwise mellow/befriend The Master same as with any other Name, but we got intimidated by the Moth-mystique and shied away from doing any kind of socializing.

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That is my greatest regret with the quest, well that and the first RA. Had I been part of the quest at the time I would've advocated for actually talking to the Master. We were their best, most favoured follower. If they were to listen to anyone's opinion it would be ours.

 

[Venerable Ro]

That is my greatest regret with the quest, well that and the first RA. Had I been part of the quest at the time I would've advocated for actually talking to the Master. We were their best, most favoured follower. If they were to listen to anyone's opinion it would be ours.

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I'm fully convinced that either Ash or the exploration is going to reveal something woeful along the lines of the Will Of The Woods being a tree pretending to be a Real Filly all along, and being genuinely convinced that we were their friend/ally right up until the Wolf struck.

Alright, maybe not that woebegone, but that fruit-book showed her origin/waking as The Moth's Glory-burnt dappled ashes raining down on the Woods. Hence her title as "Last Heir Of The Moth" or however that went. She was very young as Names go, and spent very nearly all of her existence in the becalmed stillness that followed the Forge's sealing of Glory. It's no wonder she was clueless.

Aye, clueless, I'm almost certain that she was leaning as hard as she could on that Moth 7 obfuscation and bluffing skill, making things up as she went along with not much more to go on than cult stories heard in passing from other Names and deep conviction that she didn't want Worms chewing through her on their way to Glory/Harmony. Hence the big scary Master schtick, she was probably going off of stories about Apostle-ascensions and the organizations thereof.

 

[Greymere]

I wonder if we could break off pieces of the crystals in the caverns and sell them for bits. People are always a sucker for shiny things after all.

Velvet summoning the Forge Name just to send them off to the mines

 

[Demilich]

It is very likely that the crystals are actually source of Candle Dust, you know...

 

[des-pair-2]

I wonder if we could break off pieces of the crystals in the caverns and sell them for bits. People are always a sucker for shiny things after all.

Velvet summoning the Forge Name just to send them off to the mines

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